More about Noni

Just recently we have had many clients asking about Noni. It has certainly become noticeable that over the last year many large and small companies have started heavily advertising the use of this herb for both humans and animal use. Is the commercial pressure justified?

Noni (Morinda citrifolia)

In Malaysia, it is called MENGKUDU. In Southeast Asia it is known as NHAU. It is called NONU in Samoa and Tonga, NONO in Raratonga and Tahiti, and NONI in the Marquesas Islands and Hawaii.

Noni was an important source of food for the early Polynesians. Australian aborigines are also fond of the fruit whilst in Burma the cooked unripe fruits are used in curries where they also eat the ripened fruit raw with salt. The seeds, leaves, bark, and roots are also eaten by people who believe in the healing properties of Noni, indeed ever part of the Noni plant is used for one purpose or another as it said to have many traditional medicinal properties.

In 1953, Dr. Ralph Heinicke, a biochemist who working for the Pineapple Research Institution in Hawaii, was introduced to an ingredient found in pineapple stems. Dr. Heinicke found that the active ingredient was actually an enzyme he later named Proxeronine. Unfortunately by 1977 because of soil mineral depletion Hawaiian pineapples had lost most of their Proxeronine. To continue his research, Dr. Heinicke began studying Noni fruit where he found an ever richer source of Proxeronine.

This research eventually let to an interesting observation. When consumed, proxeronine combines with an enzyme called proxeroninase in the intestine which in its turn produces a substance called xeronine. When proteins combine with xeronine, the combination produces energy and helps, by a complex signalling process, produce healthy cell growth, function and maintenance.

Current uses for Noni include:-

• Normalizing blood pressure
• Balancing the functions of the digestive system, may help give relief from IBS
• Works to help regulate sleep, temperatures and mood cycles
• Increases body energy
• Strengthening the immune system - to fight disease and infection
• Acts as anti-inflammatory anti-histaminic agent - giving relief for arthritis
• Has antibacterial properties that can protect against digestive and heart damage
• Inhibits pre-cancer function and growth of cancer tumors

Traditional uses for Noni also include:-

• Parts of the fruit are used as a tonic and to contain fever (China, Japan, Hawaii)
• The leaves, flowers, fruit, and bark can treat eye problems, skin wounds and
  abscesses, gum and throat problems, respiratory ailments, constipation, and
  fever (Pacific Islands, Hawaii)
• Used to treat stomach pains and after delivery (Marshall Islands)
• Heated leaves applied to the chest relieve coughs, nausea, and colic (Malaysia)
• Juice of the leaves is taken for arthritis (Philippines)
• The fruit is taken for lumbago, asthma, and dysentery (Indochina)
• Pounded, unripe fruit is mixed with salt and applied to cuts and broken bones
• Ripe fruit is used to draw out pus from an infected boil (Hawaii)
• Juices of over-ripe fruits are taken to regulate menstrual flow and ease urinary
  problems (Malaysia)
• The fruit can be used to make shampoo (Malaysia, Hawaii) and to treat head lice (Hawaii).
• Other exotic diseases treated with the plant include diabetes (widespread) and
  venereal diseases.

Noni is an interesting herb that we believe may be useful in some cases. If you would like to try Noni let us know we do have some available and we can make you up a formulation that is of good quality Noni and reasonably priced.

If you decide to buy elsewhere, as usual when buying herbs or herbal products make sure that it s a reputable source providing good quality at a fair price. A high price does not necessarily mean a good product.